Though not even a declared candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry seems to be watching his political star rise— in the latest polls, at least.

Rick Perry’s status differs by poll — the two latest, the FOX News and CNN/Opinion Research polls, show Perry just behind Romney at 14 percent. Two other polls show him far behind Romney. In all of the polls, Perry is either in second or fourth place in the massive field of GOP presidential wannabes.

Rick Perry’s presidential campaign debut has gone pretty well, considering he hasn’t even announced his candidacy. The non-candidate has vaulted over the weak links in the 2012 Republican presidential chain. But a new ABC News/Washington Post poll reveals some serious challenges ahead for Perry: His support among non-Tea Party loyalists remains low and he has stiff competition for Tea Party backing. …

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison today announced her support for a $3.4 trillion deficit reduction plan put together by the bipartisan “Gang of Six” senators.The plan, which would whittle away at the deficit over 10 years, is the largest package of deficit reduction with bipartisan report and concessions by both sides.

Hutchison’s fellow Texan Sen. John Cornyn, R-San Antonio, said simply in an emailed statement that he is carefully reviewing all proposals.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has tweeted 1,142 times from his personal Twitter handle, @GovernorPerry. While Perry is well-known in Texas, he’s little more than a blip on Twitter’s Trending Topics list, the oracle of the Twitterverse and crystal-ball view into what the world thinks is important. Take a look at the ebb and flow of interest in Rick Perry on Twitter. …

Responding to reports that Mexican drug cartels have bulked up on weapons bought north of the border, House Democrats are pushing legislation aimed at combating the trafficking of U.S—purchased guns to the cartels.

The bill, called the Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act of 2011, would make gun trafficking a crime under a new federal statute.

Texas on the Potomac reporter-researcher Will Tucker has compiled a photo gallery of the top ten weapons of choice of the Mexican drug cartels.

To get a deeper understanding of Mexican drug violence, we suggest you also check out Will’s interactive map showing the location of gun purchases in Texas (and other states) and their use in narcotics-related murders inside Mexico. …